Catheters are employed by medical personnel for many purposes such as providing for the passage of fluids, including gases, to and from the human body. In various medical procedures, it is common to introduce a catheter into a patient's airway through the mouth. One type of catheter is an endotracheal tube, which is adapted to be inserted through the oral cavity of a patient and into the trachea, for example, to provide for the supply of fluids to the body, for the monitoring of internal conditions in the body and for removal of secretions from within the body. Other examples of catheters include respiratory tubes for laryngeal masks, oral gastric tubes, and esophageal stethoscopes.
It is desirable to secure the catheter in place within the patient to prevent the catheter from being inadvertently mainstem intubated (advanced into the patient) or extubated (retracted (or removed) from the patient's mouth) after it has been properly positioned; however, it is difficult to properly secure catheters to a patient's face to prevent these events. Neck straps are effective for holding catheters, but the neck straps can often hinder jugular venous flow or impede line placement within the patient. Tapes and adhesives are ineffective routinely, because of the presence of facial hair, dirt, blood, debris, perspiration, excessive soft tissue or facial trauma.
Another problem is that the catheter is usually relatively easy to deform as it passes between the patient's teeth when inserted orally, it is desirable to prevent the lumen of the catheter from being occluded by a patient's teeth when the patient attempts to bite down. Occlusion of the catheter can lead to, for example, hypoxia, hypercarbia, and the syndrome known as negative pressure pulmonary edema. The various restraining approaches discussed above are ineffective in protecting against possible occlusion of the catheter.
Bite blocks can be effective in keeping a patient's jaw open and thus prevent the teeth from clamping down on the catheter. One problem with a bite block is that it is yet another piece of equipment that may be inserted into the patient's mouth along with other medical apparatuses including, for example, multiple hoses/tubes/catheters and pulse oximeter sensors. Another problem with some bit blocks that set loose within the oral cavity is that if the patient's mouth opens up wider than the bite block, the bite block may move from its position down into the patient's throat or airway. If this occurs, then the airway may become partially or completely blocked. In any event, someone will need to fish out the bite block with an instrument or hand while keeping the patient's mouth open.
A recurring problem during intubation is that a patient's teeth suffer dental trauma from being hit and/or jarred. This type of dental trauma results in the number one cause of claims against anesthesiologists. Thus, it is desirable to find a device capable of protecting a patient's teeth from dental trauma.
Notwithstanding the above devices, a need still exists for an apparatus to secure a catheter in place within the patient while also preventing the patient from occluding the inserted catheter and protecting the patient's teeth.